Monday, March 23, 2009

Alaska's Mt. Redoubt volcano erupted five times overnight, throwing ash as high as 60,000 feet into the air, threatening air travel and raising health risks in some sparsely populated areas.

It was the first eruption of the 10,200-foot Redoubt, about 100 miles from Anchorage, since 1989, when the volcano erupted for four months....

Mt. Redoubt has erupted in 1902, 1966 and 1989, when ash was thrown as high as 45,000 feet. Ash was sent 150 miles away into the path of a KLM jet and its four engines flamed out. The crew managed to restart the engines and land safely but the craft needed $80 million in repairs.

The observatory warned in late January that an eruption could occur at any time as earthquake activity in the area increased.